Pages

How to Make a Candle Wick

Tips for preparing a candle wick when making your own candles

Today we continue with the wickipedia of candle making...little candle joke there...

If you are reusing old candles to make new ones carefully cut the candle to you can rescue the wick and it's metal holder at the base and reuse them in your new project - just trim the wick to the correct height.

Wicks cut from old candles ready to reuse

1. To prepare a wick from scratch first cut the length of wick you need . Remember to add about 2-4cm to the completed height of your candle to get the length of your wick

2. Pick up the wick with a pair of tongs and dip it into some melted wax. Leave to set and dip in again to make the wick stand upright. Flip the cooled wick around in the tongs so you can dip the other end in the same way but before the second lot of wax fully cools push the wick into a metal wick base.

Dipping the wick into wax to stiffen it

3. The wick will go through the hole and the wax will mush around the edges so press it down to set around the wick and hold it onto the base. You can also pinch the metal side of the base to hold the wick more firmly.

Pushing the wick through the metal wick base

4. Pour a drop of wax the size of a pea into the centre of the base of your mold and sit the wick into it until the wax sets and holds the wick in place

5. If the wick starts to tip over in the mold stabilise it with a pair of chopsticks, skewers or pencils.

For a larger candle you can wind some of the end of the wick around a skewer, tape it and sit it across the mold to hold the wick in place while the wax sets (you can also do this if you don't have a metal wick base but it's a little fiddly for little or shallow candles)

Stablising a wick using wooden skewers

Stabilising a wick by winding it around a skewer

6. After the candle has been poured and set, trim the wick sticking out of the candle with a pair of scissors so it's about half a centimetre long (5mm)

Stoves
are hot and stuff! Don't burn yourself on them because it hurts and
sucks. If you burn yourself put the burnt area under cold water for 10
minutes but no longer than 20 minutes and seek medical help.Turn the stove off while you wait for the ambulance.

General Safety Warning 2:
Candles are hot! The are flamey and have burny bits. Never leave a candle unattended and don't put them in silly places where they can set fire to your curtains.